Sunday, June 4, 2017

Mirror Nails

Woah... Where have I been?! Can't believe it's been a month. The weather's been nice!

But I'd like to alert you to the Holy Grail of nail wierdos like me...mirror nails, or chrome nails. Metallic nail polish won't get you a true mirror finish. In the past, there were chrome stickers, but those seem super fussy and I don't like the idea of stickers on my nails.

There are a few YouTube videos on using chrome powder. Many recommend using UV gel, but that's a line I won't cross. Luckily you can do this with just the powder and a water-based top coat. The below video explains:

After reading a few Amazon reviews and watching other videos, I settled on the below brands. Chrome powder: what's up nails, water-based top coat: Little Ondine.

The powder is a very fine Mica-based powder like that found in makeup. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral that's stable and found in many rocks, so I think it's environmentally neutral, opposed to glitter. Glitter is terrible for the environment.. If someone knows more about Mica please comment.

First, paint your nails with black polish. Then apply a top coat--i used the water-based top coat, but I think I might try a regular one next time. When it's mostly dry, massage the powder. I tried a q-tip, but that didn't work well. Honestly my fingers worked best. Watch the video above--it magically becomes mirrorlike.

A free places online said that the manicure only lasts a few days, but mine lasted about 2 weeks, showing the same amount of chipping as any other manicure (see above)